Tools of the Trade

Just a short note, tonight, and not a rant at all. Any beginning writer should read Stephen King's On Writing, it's absolutely crucial. Regardless of what you think of King as an author -- and I know people have mixed feelings. I used to read all his stuff, and just got to the point where I couldn't keep up. However, On Writing contains inspiration, plus lots of little points lots of struggling writers can relate to. For example, at one point Carrie wound up in the trash can, until his wife fished it out and demanded that he finish it, and that was his breakthrough. I can't recommend it enough.

And of course, there's always the yearly Novel and Short Story Writers Market. The downside is, some of the magazines have gone out of business, say they pay and don't, or otherwise contain erroneous information, but still, it's a great resource for starting to get your fiction out there. It's always a good investment.

Thanks for reading,

LadyLitBlitzin